Can Aston Villa steal Demarai Gray from Birmingham City in the summer?

18-year-old Gray is one of the most in-demand young players in the Football League, and a host of Premier League clubs have reportedly been keen on signing him for a number of months.

Arsenal have been the most recent club to track the England youth international, as per a report in the Sun, and his six goals and one assist in 37 Championship games this term have done much to increase his reputation.

It is expected that offers will be made for Gray in the summer, with Birmingham set for another year in the second tier, and there is another Premier League club who should go in for the youngster - the Blues local rivals Aston Villa.

At 18, Gray represents all the signing philosophies that Villa have shown a fondness for in recent years, being young, homegrown and with a wealth of potential.

Birmingham would likely rue selling to their local rivals, but the allures of the Premier League could be too large to fight off for Gray, and whilst a move to Arsenal could be a stall in his fledgling career, Villa would allow him immediate top flight first-team football.

With Tim Sherwood’s recent appointment at Villa Park, he has already shown that he is continuing the youth promotion that he showed at Tottenham Hotspur, and Gray would be signing to a manager with a proven track record at giving young players chances to impress.

Birmingham may be against the move due to the rivalry between them and Villa, but Sherwood’s recent appointment makes the second city club arguably the best top flight destination for Gray. With all the top flight interest he has shown undoubted potential, and Villa should steal in and make a move for him this summer.

Billy Hawkins

Billy is a freelance writer who contributes to various sites concerning football. Known to possess an obsession with statistics, Eastern European club sides, and Victorian football, he focuses upon the untapped potential of the Football League in the belief it is more enjoyable than the Premier League.